John b



UNITED STATES JOI-IN B. MURRAY,

To all whom 'it may concer/IL:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. MURRAY, of the city and county of New York,in the State of New York, have made certain new and useful Improvementsin Prepaid Postage Stamps; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full and correct description thereof, reference being had to thedrawings annexed, making a part of this specification, and to theletters of reference thereon.

My said invention relates to prepaid postage stamps used for newspapers,periodicals, &c., and consists in several important labor savingimprovements-viz., lst, in enlarging the size of the paper on which thestamp is printed to a size and shape suitable for a newspaper wrapper;2nd, in connection with the stamp printingor stamping parallel lines onthe paper for guidance in writing the superscription; 3rd, in a marginalcoating of gum arabic or other adhesive material applied to the reverseside of the wrapper stamp at one of the ends thereof for the purpose ofmakingthe stamp a self sealing wrapper.

The object of my said improvement is to provide for the public aconvenient stamped, ruled, and self sealing newspaper wrapper for thedespatch of transient newspapers, pamphlets and other printed matter;also for publishers a convenient wrapper for forwarding theirpublications to annual or other subscribers, and to furnish theGovernment with the means of protecting the Post- Oflice Departmentagainst fraud and peculat-ion.

The drawing illustrates my invention, letter A representing the paper ofany suitable size and texture, white or colored, and of the shapesubstantially of a newspaper wrapper and having the impression of aGovernment prepaid postage stamp of any suitable design or configurationsay such as, B, stamped, printed, engraved or marked upon it in aconvenient place.

Letters C, D, E, are parallel lines on which the superscription may bewritten. They may be printed, stamped, engraved or marked by any knownprocess and at the same time or at a different time from the time ofimpressing the postage mark.

Letter F represents a marginal coating of gum arabic or other suitableadhesive substance applied to one of the ends of the reverse side of thepaper.

OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

ENVELOP.

. 30,151, dated September 25, 1860.

The whole constitutes a prepaid newspaper postage stamp which is also aruled self sealing newspaper wrapper.

By varying the color of the paper or the impression a distinction may bereadily made between transient and what are known as annual subscriberspapers which are now for want of a sufficient means of designationsuffered to go unstamped and on the bare word of newspaper publishers ata rate much below the transient rate and payable yearly or otherwise inadvance.

By the use of this my invention frauds may be avoided by delivering tothe newspapers when payments are made in advance for annual subscribersthe requisite number of wrapper stamps and of a color differing from thetransient wrapper stamps. Distinction may also be made by variation ofcolor between wrapper stamps for single papers and stamps designed toprepay and cover several papers.

The utility of my invention as respects the use of it by the communityin sending transient newspapers is too obvious to need furtherobservation tlian that it is a well known fact that the inconvenience ofwrapping, sealing and stamping a transient paper or periodicalexperienced by persons not provided with the necessary facilitiesprecludes them in great measure from sending them by mail at all.

What I claim as my invention and improvement in prepaid postage stamps,is as follows viz:

l. A prepaid postage stamp of suitable size and form for a postalwrapper for newspapers, periodicals, &c., substantially as described andin contradistinction to the letter envelop stamps and the small stamp incommon use.

2. In connection with the wrapper stamp parallel superscription linessubstantially as described.

8. In combination with the wrapper stamp a marginal coat-ing of gumarabic or other adhesive material substantially as described.

il. A prepaid postage stamp which is also a ruled and self sealingnewspaper wrapper substantially as described.

JOHN B. MURRAY.

TWitnesses JOSEPH PULLEY, JAMES L. BUTLEY.

